Journal article
Self-reported walking difficulty and knee osteoarthritis influences limb dynamics and muscle co-contraction during gait
Human movement science, v 64, pp 409-419
01 Apr 2019
PMID: 30448202
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) gait is characterized by simultaneous flexor and extensor use, or co-contraction. Co-contraction can stabilize and redirect joint forces. However, co-contraction can push and pull on the femur and tibia that exacerbate OA symptoms and make walking difficult. Such movements are quantifiable by limb dynamics (i.e., linear acceleration and jerk); thus, this study examines limb dynamics and its relationship with co-contraction and OA related walking difficulty.
Three groups of age-and-sex-matched subjects with and without OA and walking difficulty (N = 13 per group) walked with electromyography (EMG) on the knee extensors and flexors and inertial measurement units (IMUs) at the femur and tibia. We calculated co-contraction from antagonistic EMG signals and linear acceleration and its derivative jerk from IMUs. We determined group differences using one-way ANOVAs, nonparametric equivalence, and effect sizes, and main and interaction effects of walking difficulty with regression modeling.
Medium effect sizes and differences for femoral acceleration (d = 0.64; P = .02) and jerk (d = 0.51; P = .01) were observed between with and without knee OA. Medium to large effect sizes (r = 0.33 to 0.51 and d = 0.81 to 0.97) and differences (P = .01 to 0.05) for tibial acceleration and jerk were obsevered between with and without walking difficulty. Walking difficulty moderated the relationship between tibial jerk and co-contraction (p < .05).
Tibial jerk differences were observed based on walking difficulty. The significant interaction effect suggested that walking difficulty explained the relationship between limb dynamics and co-contraction. Perhaps co-contraction levels used by those with knee OA and no walking difficulty are optimal as compared to those with walking difficulty.
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Details
- Title
- Self-reported walking difficulty and knee osteoarthritis influences limb dynamics and muscle co-contraction during gait
- Creators
- Annalisa Na - Kessler Institute for RehabilitationThomas S. Buchanan - Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
- Publication Details
- Human movement science, v 64, pp 409-419
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 11
- Grant note
- U54-GM104941 / NIH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA Section on Orthopaedics of the American Physical Therapy Association
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physical Therapy (and Rehabilitation Sciences)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000463303100040
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85056478787
- Other Identifier
- 991021867033104721
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Neurosciences
- Psychology
- Psychology, Experimental
- Sport Sciences